The 2016 Arizona Diamondbacks turned out to be the biggest disappointment in all of major league baseball. A lot was expected when the team signed All Star Zack Greinke to a six year contract, guaranteeing him $206.5 million. Much has been said about the subsequent trade that sent Dansby Swanson to the Atlanta Braves for Shelby Miller, but the truth is, looking at things in a past tense always poses a vision of twenty-twenty. The talking heads have raved about Swanson, whom the Diamondbacks would clearly like to have back, but very little has been said in regards to Miller. Miller was coming of age- 2015 a breakout season, albeit pitching for a very bad Atlanta Braves team. His numbers that season: the 3.02 earned run average, 127 earned run average plus, 171 strikeouts in just over 205 innings pitched with just 13 home runs allowed, made a legitimate case that the Braves could have asked for (and received) a lot in return for his services. If Miller had duplicated those numbers for the Diamondbacks last year, less groaning would have been made over how bad of a trade it turned out to be for the Arizona franchise. The fact is, Shelby Miller was just terrible last year. He had a difficult time getting any sort of rhythm going, struggling to a 6.15 ERA for the season and giving up 14 home runs in just 101 IP. He was even sent to the minor leagues with the hope that he can build up his confidence. In ten starts for Triple- A Reno, Miller went 7-1 with a 3.30 ERA, striking out 74 batters in just under 63 IP and a 1.181 WHIP. In his last six starts after returning to the major leagues, Miller gave up 14 runs in just under 32 innings, good enough for a 3.97 ERA, but still not encouraging enough to make baseball analysts believe he will return to his 2015 form. The Diamondbacks expectations and the resulting 69-93 record led to the departure of General Manager Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale. The struggles of Miller and Greinke (4.37 ERA and just 26 starts due to time missed because of injury) and the spring training injury to star center fielder AJ Pollack had a lot to do with the team's disappointing play. Call it a series of unfortunate events, but the final results are what they are. A lot more was expected of them last season and the Stewart and Hale have to feel the same way. The D'Backs hired Boston Red Sox GM Mike Hazen as their new President of Baseball Operations. He brought in a couple of Boston executives to join him and also brought in Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo as the new field manager. The Diamondbacks off season centered around a trade made with the Seattle Mariners. The team's 2016 most valuable player Jean Segura (.319 batting average, 20 home runs, 64 runs batted in, 203 hits, 102 runs scored, 41 doubles, 33 stolen bases) was sent to the Mariners in exchange for 24 year old starting pitcher Taijuan Walker. Walker provides some depth to a rotation that could use it, especially with Miller's struggles. Thought is, though Segura had a breakout season, he may have peaked. Because of that, his trade value may be as high as it will ever be. The Diamondbacks also replaced free agent catcher Wellington Castillo (non-tendered) with journeymen Chris Iannetta and Jeff Mathis. Fernando Rodney comes in to be the closer and with it, his reputation for shooting arrows in the first half of the season and shooting blanks in the second half.Not having Pollack really set the Diamondbacks back in 2016. His 2015 season eerily matched Segura's 2016 (.315, 20, 76, 192, 111, 39, 39). Outside of Segura, the highlight of Arizona's 2016 was the major league development of third baseman Jake Lamb (29 HR, 91 RBI) and left fielder Yasmany Tomas (30, 83). Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt had a typical season and remains their best overall player. Outfielder Brandon Drury will be the team's starting second baseman with David Peralta coming back to play right field after only appearing in 48 games last season. Peralta hit .312 in 2015 with 10 triples, 17 HR and 78 RBI. If shortstop Nick Ahmed cannot show he is a better offensive player, I would consider moving Chris Owings back to shortstop in spite of his inferior defense. The lineup I would give the Diamondbacks opening day is Peralta RF, Pollack CF, Goldschmidt 1B, Tomas LF, Lamb 3B, Drury 2B, Iannetta C, Ahmed SS. Hope is that 23 year-old Ketel Marte is ready to become a legitimate all around shortstop. He has the ability to be a superior defender and perhaps can hit for a solid average and moderate power. If he does, he will make the Walker/ Segura trade a victory for the D'Backs regardless of what they get out of Walker, the more significant piece of the trade. Owings will be a super utility player with Gregor Blanco, Chris Herrmann, Daniel Descalso, and Mathis rounding out the Arizona bench. Hank Conger and Josh Thole are also vying for a spot in the catching mix. Left handed pitcher Robbie Ray gained some MLB experience in 2016, making 32 starts, and pitched to a 4.90 ERA but struck out 218 batters in just over 174 innings pitched. Some of Ray's struggles were part of growing pains as the Diamondbacks were well out of the playoffs by the All Star break. Greinke will be better this season, his track record dictates it and he is expected to be fully healthy in 2017. Walker and Miller will be very instrumental in the pitching staff's success. Walker is the Diamondbacks version of Michael Pineda, his stuff can be so dominant that he could be an ace, but it seems to all fall apart at once for the former Mariners prospect (just like Pineda). Miller has to be better than he was last season, right? If the pitching of the prior two puts Ray in the number four spot in the team's rotation, the Diamondbacks will be in good shape. Patrick Corbin, a former All Star who has yet to return to form after Tommy John surgery in 2014, gets the first shot at the number five spot in the starting rotation. Young pitching prospects Archie Bradley and Braden Shipley will be better off pitching in Triple- A, but they could emerge as important depth pieces as the season goes on. Hopefully, the Diamondbacks can use this as a luxury, not a necessity. Once again, Walker and Miller will be the difference between being a playoff team and being a middle of the road team. Veteran Jorge DeLaRosa can perhaps be an insurance policy against an early season injury. Rodney has a matter of always signing with a team looking for a closer and is usually good in his first year in a new home. I am less concerned with Rodney as I am with those that build up to him. Randall Delgado, Jake Barrett, and Enrique Burgos all produced mixed results with all three looking very good at their best. Perhaps Shipley or Bradley can fill in as an eighth inning option if nobody emerges out of the prior three mentioned. Right handed pitchers Zack Godley and Silvino Bracho and lefty Andrew Chafin all put up awful numbers last season. If the Diamondbacks are in a good pennant race this season, they owe it to their fans to make a trade for a reliever or two. Other in house options include veterans Kevin Jepsen, Tom Wilhelmsen, JJ Hoover, and Brian Matusz.Outfielder Socrates Brito remains a player that should be watched as he possesses all the talent to be a very good all around major league player. In a time where all that seems to matter is velocity when it comes to pitching, the development of left handed pitcher Anthony Banda is a breath of fresh air. He is a pitcher first and he made some very good strides, mainly making his command his biggest strength. Having Pollack and Peralta back in the lineup for a full season should be enough to give the Diamondbacks a significant improvement from a year ago. The Diamondbacks lineup should be able to produce a lot of runs and having Pollack in center field should prevent a good amount as well. The idea of bringing in two catcher first backstops should help both defensively and with the pitching staff. I am taking a shot on the Diamondbacks starting pitching staff. It will start with Greinke, who I think will be back to pre- 2016 form. I also believe the Shelby Miller of 2016 will be a thought of the past and I think a change of scenery will bring out the best in Walker. 2017 will be a very productive year for the Arizona Diamondbacks. While Las Vegas predicted a vast improvement (9.5 wins over last season), I am willing to go another 9.5 wins ahead of the Reno number of 78.5. I have the Diamondbacks at 88-74, second place in the National League West Division. Their record will also put them in the National League Wild Card Game, the sixth postseason appearance in the history of the franchise and the first since 2011.

The discussion continues with the 30-1 MLB countdown previews. To this point, 18 of the 30 MLB teams have been previewed and based off the results, many of the teams are not separated by many games at all. In fact, 17 of the 30 teams, according to this particular countdown, will finish with a winning record with an 18th team finishing at an exactly .500 (winning percentage). (I totaled up the total amount of games played in a season and broke them down, distributing the total of wins and losses to all 30 teams. In other words, if you total the amount of wins for every team I preview throughout the 30-1 MLB countdown, it will equal the amount of losses tallied up by doing the same.) The bottom line is that the parity of the game of baseball has put many teams in the same boat. Most have a chance to compete and their success and failures will be determined by intangibles including clubhouse commendatory and injuries. Because of that, all we have to use to determine records before the season starts is the composition of the respective rosters, the direction the team is going and the prospects of what young players and healthy returnees are set up to help. My opinion will be different than yours and my opinion will be different than digitally generated previews. The Toronto Blue Jays made it to the postseason for the first time since their last World Series victory in 1993. The past 22 seasons have been a struggle but the Blue Jays had managed to finish with a .500 or better record in 10 of those 22 campaigns. The building of what has become a championship caliber offensive team started in the 2012-2013 off season, when the Jays added shortstop Jose Reyes, along with pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle- none of whom are currently part of the ball club. However, after the emergence of late blooming power hitters Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, this was the first sign that the Blue Jays were looking to base their team on offense, a formula that has proven to be a wise one. This past off season, the Blue Jays made a trade that did not involve a lot of though behind it. It, quite frankly, did not need to. The Oakland Athletics dangled All Star third baseman Josh Donaldson as if he could be had. General manager Alex Anthopoulos (who has since left the organization) jumped on the opportunity. In fact, the Blue Jays pulled off one of the biggest heists in years getting Donaldson from the Athletics in exchange for four players, one of whom was removed from their 40 man roster (Sean Nolin) and another was traded away to the White Sox (Brett Lawrie). Having Reyes allowed the Jays to make the deal with the Colorado Rockies for Troy Tulowitzki right before the 2015 trading deadline. The Blue Jays most recent off season has consisted on the re-inventing of the team's pitching staff. Gone are David Price (18 wins, 5 losses, 2.45 earned run average, 225 strikeouts, just over 220 innings pitched) and Buehrle (15-8, 3.81, just under 199 innings). They will be replaced by one time Blue Jays left hand pitcher JA Happ (11-8, 3.61, 151 Ks, 72 IP) and Jesse Chavez (7-15, 4.18, 136 Ks, 157 IP). They also added reliever Drew Storen (2-2, 3.44, 29 saves, 67 Ks, 55 IP) in an off season deal with the Washington Nationals in exchange for Ben Revere. Also brought in are veteran starters Gavin Floyd and Roberto Hernandez and relievers Pat Venditte and Randy Choate. All the moves were may by new team president Mark Shapiro, who hired Ross Adkins as the team's new general manager after Anthopoulos resigned. The Blue Jays are blessed with one of the better assembled offenses the game has seen in years. Bautista (.250 batting average, 40 home runs, 114 runs batted in, .913 on base plus slugging) and Encarnacion (.277, 39, 111, .929) were enough on their own. The addition of Donaldson (.297, 41, 123, .939), the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player, and catcher Russell Martin (.240, 23, 77, .787) is a blessing by itself. The emergence of center fielder Kevin Pillar (.278, 12, 56, .713, 25 stolen bases) and first baseman Chris Colabello (.321, 15, 54, .886) made the lineup even more potent. Tulowitzki (.280, 17, 70, .777) is hoping to be healthy enough to be around all season and the Blue Jays get left fielder Michael Saunders (just 31 at bats in 2015, 19 home runs in 2012) after missing most of last year. Toronto will go with a combination of Ryan Goins (.250, 5, 45, .768) and Devon Travis (.304, 8, 35, .859) at second base once Travis has recovered from his November shoulder surgery. The lineup I would go with is Saunders LF, Donaldson 3B, Bautista RF, Encarnacion DH, Tulowitzki SS, Colabello 1B, Martin C, Pillar CF, Goins/ Travis 2B. Travis, in my opinion, is the better full time option as long as he proves he is healthy. The Jays also have veteran Darwin Barney to provide insurance in the infield and Justin Smoak, Ezequiel Carrera and Junior Lake should all be in the mix with Josh Thole serving as the team's backup catcher. Domonic Brown comes in hoping that a change of scenery will get him back to being the player that hit .272 with 27 home runs in 2013. Casey Kotchman is also looking at another MLB shot. The Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation will hinge this season on the impact of Marcus Stroman (4-0, 1.67, 4 starts, 27 innings pitched), who missed most of the season due to a torn ACL. However, his unprecedented return last year was a huge boast for the team and he was able to pitch in the playoffs for them. With Price no longer around, Stroman will be counted on to be the team's ace. Marco Estrada (13-8, 3.13, 28 starts, 181 IP) was a great story last season after seemingly hitting a wall in Milwaukee. If he duplicates his 2015, the Jays will be okay. The addition of Happ may be one of the more underrated moves of the entire off season. The adjustments he made under Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage could have totally resurrected his career. If so, the Jays may have made a great investment even though the 3 year, $36 million contract commitment may seem like a lot for a .500 career pitcher with a slightly above 4.00 career ERA. Veteran RA Dickey (11-11, 3.91, just over 214 IP) is entering his forth season in Toronto and hopefully can gracefully provide insurance as a forth starter. The fifth spot could go to Chavez, but also look at Floyd, Drew Hutchinson (13-5, 5.57, 150 IP), Hernandez or Aaron Sanchez (7-6, 3.22, 41 games, 11 starts). I still believe in Sanchez and would like to see him get a full season as a starting pitcher. Sanchez and Chavez may be vulnerable to the fact that they have succeeded in a relief role. With essentially one starting spot available in the rotation, unfortunately, both may not be given the attention they deserve. Storen will serve as the closer with incumbent closer Roberto Osuna (1-6, 2.48, 20 saves, 75 Ks, just under 70 innings pitched) serving as the eight inning guy. Left handers Brett Cecil (5-5, 2.48, 70 Ks, just over 54 IP), Aaron Loup (2-5, 4.46, 46 Ks, just over 42 innings), Choate, and the switch pitcher Venditte will round out what could be a deep bullpen. The Jays will have to decide if they are better with Sanchez as a late game reliever or their rotation is deeper with him as part of it. A couple sons of former major leaguers highlight the Blue Jays top minor league players. Dwight Smith Jr could debut this season but may be better off spending one more season in the minors. Vladimir Guerrero Jr was signed this past off season, but just turned 17. Even if he is as good as his father, I cannot imagine him being close to major league ready for at least three more full MLB seasons. The Blue Jays also signed right hander Yennsy Diaz, a solid young arm that will also be a ways away from the big leagues. The Blue Jays have a chance to be the best team in the American League if they get some solid pitching. Happ and Sanchez have a chance to be great, if Happ continues in his progression from last season and Sanchez first gets a chance to be a starting pitcher all season and second pitches as well as I think he can. That will change my overall outlook on this team. In all reality, I see the Blue Jays scoring more runs than they did last season, but giving up way more runs than they give in 2015. Stroman will be great, but I cannot expect Estrada to repeat his improbable campaign of a year ago. The American League East teams will feast off the Toronto pitchers and there are few examples of teams that are all offense that get to the postseason, let alone advance in the postseason. Las Vegas has the Blue Jays at 87 and I take the under, with a record of 84-78, second place in the American League East. However, the fact that they are ranking at 11 means they are the non-playoff team that is closest to being a playoff team. I think the Jays are that close and if they can be in the race come July, look for them to make a similar acquisition to what they did last season when they added Price.

I'm happy to be putting together my annual MLB team previews for the 3rd consecutive March. Each of the past seasons, I have learned from my experience that I have to make adjustments to my initial thoughts. My beef has been with all the experts just piggy backing off Baseball Prospectus to rank the teams to prospective finishes. Before the 2012 season, I tried to make a point that they are never completely correct. By doing so, I made some bolder predictions to try to stand out. I also noticed that the know it alls simply like to predict that the same teams that were successful last season will automatically be great the following year. While that is not necessarily true, there is no formula to pick that "sleeper team" for any given season. Doing this for the 3rd season, I've put together a better balance of logic and in the belief of the up and comer. Feel free to comment both on the outlook of each team I preview as well as where I rank them among the 30 in MLB. Even if the Jays would have signed RHP Ervin Santana, I am still down on this team this season. Does it have to do with the fact that I had much higher expectations for them last season? Perhaps. When trying to point out what went wrong last season, the expectations had a lot to do with it. But mainly, it was the starting pitching, which was lousy and missing Jose Reyes for two months after the team already had a slow start. It was the slow start, then the Reyes injury surrounded by starting pitching that was not that good. Because of that, the Blue Jays were never in the AL East race. They have followed up the disappointing season with a quiet offseason. However, bringing in Dioner Navarro should add a little production both offensively and defensively. Last year, he hit (.300, 13, 34 in 89 games for the Cubs) in place of JP Arencibia (.194, 21, 55 in 138 games and 148 strikeouts). Acquiring Erik Kratz from the Phillies gives them a legitimate backup and solves their catching woes of a season ago. With Reyes around and hopefully healthy all season, I think this team can surprise, but I am going in with a cautious approach. The question over whether this team will be any good will rest in their starting pitching. RA Dickey (14-13, 4.21. 34 starts) was better than his numbers and pitched as well as he did in 2012 during the second half of last season. Mark Buehrle (12-10, 4.15, 33) pitched like a workhorse who is on the decline. Neither were the issues, it was the rest of the rotation that gave them little to nothing. Josh Johnson, who came over in the same trade that brought the Jays Reyes, was terrible, going 2-8, 6.20 in 16 starts before getting hurt. He is off to San Diego. Brandon Morrow (2-3, 5.63, 10 starts) was counted on to be the number 2 starter in the rotation behind Dickey after pitching to a 2.94 ERA with 3 shutouts in 2012. Morrow will be back in the mix along with JA Happ (5-7, 4.56, 18), who has hit with a linedrive during a game last season. Drew Hutchison, who was 5-3, 4.60, 11 during the 2012, but missed the 2013 season, has the edge on being the 5th starter. Esmil Rogers, Todd Redmond and former top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek will all get a chance at some point this season. A dream scenario would see LHP Ricky Romero return to form. Once of the nicer guys in the game deserves to return where he was from 2009-2011, where he won a total of 42 games. Also keep an eye on top pitching prospect Aaron Sanchez, who may be up by seasons end. Casey Janssen (4-1, 2.56, 34 saves) is one of the more underrated closers in baseball and leads a very good bullpen. Sergio Santos (1-1, 1.75, 29 games) returns to anchor the 8th inning. Amazing that the Jays had two All Star relievers and neither were Janssen. Steve Delabar (5-5, 3.22 in 55 games) and Brett Cecil (5-1, 2.82, 60) made the AS team last year. The depth continues with Dustin McGowan (2.45 ERA in 25 games) coming off his arm injury and LHP Aaron Loup (4-6, 2.47, 64). Neil Wagner (2-4, 3.79, 36) and Rogers (5-9, 4.77 in 44 games, 20 starts) will round out what has the makings to be one of the better bullpens in all of baseball. Reyes (.296, 10, 37 in 93 games) stole just 15 bases but did get off to a great start before getting hurt. Having 3B Brett Lawrie (.254, 11, 46 in 107 games) and Melky Cabrera (.279, 3, 30 in 88 games) back from injury should make the lineup stronger. The same can be said about Jose Bautista (.259, 28, 73 in 118 games) and Colby Rasmus (.276, 22, 66 in 118 games). 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion (.272, 26, 104) and DH/1B Adam Lind (.288, 23, 67) had very good 2013 seasons. The team plans to go into the season with 2B Ryan Goins, who got a little experience last season, but will also consider Munenori Kawasaki and Chris Getz. The lineup I would go with is Reyes SS, Rasmus CF, Bautista RF, Encarnacion 1B, Lind DH, Navarro C, Lawrie 3B, Cabrera LF, Goins 2B. On the bench will be Moises Sierra, Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar, Macier Izturis, Kratz, Josh Thole and maybe Dan Johnson- in on a minor league contract. Injuries destroyed the Blue Jays last season. It is tough to expect the same group of players who were hurt last year to all be healthy this season. Morrow and Happ can make the team forget about the starting pitching woes it had in 2013. I really like their bullpen and their offense can be dangerous if everybody stays healthy. I just don't expect health to fall out of the sky. Vegas has them at 79.5 which about where they should be predicted to be. I am taking the under, going 72-90, last place in the AL East. If I am correct, it is unlikely manager John Gibbons makes it through the season. I was wrong by picking them to take the division last year, maybe I will be incorrect taking them to finish in the basement.

The Buffalo Bisons are currently the AAA home of the Toronto Blue Jays. It is convenient as Toronto is closer to Buffalo than any other MLB team. The team finished with a 74-70 season, its first as an affiliate of the Blue Jays. In New York, they were known as the AAA affiliate for the Mets from 2009-2012. Catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas and outfielder Adam Loewen played for the Bisons in 2012 and 2013 and Miguel Batista played for them in 2011 and 2013. The Bisons have been a AAA affiliate since 1982 and go back well before that. The Buffalo Bisons were actually a MLB team in the late 1800s. They were a National League from 1879-1885. The team first became involved in minor league baseball in 1886, after they were dropped from the National League. They stayed there until 1899 when they joined the Western League and were thought of as a real possibility to become a major league baseball team when it was announced that the Western League was becoming the American League. However, they were dropped to make room for another team and returned to minor league baseball again. They would remain in Buffalo until the 1970 season. The team moved to Winnipeg, then Virginia, before they ceased existence after the 1973 season. The Pittsburgh Pirates brought the Buffalo Bisons back for the 1979 season, making them their AA club. They remained the AA affiliate for the Pirates through the 1982 season, when they took over as the AA club for the Cleveland Indians. After spending 1983 and 1984 as the Indians AA team, the Bisons moved to the American Association as the AAA farm team of the Chicago White Sox. They have been a AAA team ever since. The Bisons were the AAA affiliate of the White Sox for 1985 and 1986, then held the same position for the Cleveland Indians for the 1987 season. After that, they returned to the Pirates organization, this time as the AAA team. They remained there from 1988-1994. Buffalo went back to the Indians organization for the 1995 season, and remained there until 2008. The American Association folded after the 1997 season and the Bisons joined the International League for the 1998 season, where they have been ever since. The Mets owned the Bisons for the next four seasons, and now they are the property of the Blue Jays. They Bisons have been League Champions 6 times. They beat Rochester in 1934, Baltimore in 1936, Miami in 1957, Rochester again in 1961, Durham in 1998 and Richmond in 2004. They played in a total of 10 Championship Series and since 1998, have won their division 4 times.

As the month of April comes to a close, the New York Mets are intent on trying to right the ship of what has been a disappointing month. To say it has been a struggle would be an understatement. Less than two weeks ago, we as the fans were giving the team respect for its good start. After Saturday April 21st win against the Twins, the team stood at 7-4. Since then, the team has gone 3-10 with some bad losses along the way. The offense, which was one of the early season strengths and surprises, has gone back to what it was in the second half of 2012. In a follow up piece, I will break down which is worse, the Mets 2012 bullpen or this year's version? Starting pitching outside of Matt Harvey and Jonathon Niese has been non-existent. And oh how quick the fan base has jumped off the Collin Cowgill-Marlon Byrd bandwagon. After stating the obvious, it is time to take a march back into the past off season and remind ourselves what the expectations should be. The Mets came off a 2012 season left with a ton of holes. The one strength took a hit when the Mets traded RA Dickey to the Blue Jays, weakening the starting rotation. The Mets entered the 2012 offseason with Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Mike Baxter as their potential 2013 starting OF after the release of Jason Bay. The bullpen looked attrocious and they posessed the worst offensive catching tandum (Josh Thole and Nike Nickeas) in team, and maybe MLB, history. Getting John Buck and Travis d'Arnaud in the Dickey trade was a plus. Outside from that, few of GM Sandy Alderson's low budget moves have panned out. Cowgill has lost the starting CF job just as fast as he got it and RF Byrd is now a platoon player at best. The injury to Johan Santana has forced the Mets to have to use Jeremy Hefner (a 6th starter in the big leagues) and Aaron Laffey (a AAA starter) to pitch 4th and 5th in the rotation. Of course, things can change with free agent signing Shawn Marcum back and maybe top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler on the horizon. Easily pointed out difficiencies in the outfield and bullpen were not addressed, or addressed half ass. Cowgill is making the league mimimum and Byrd had his minor league contract purchased. It is safe to say, the Mets are getting what they paid for. Though the signing of Scott Rice has turned out to be a good one, the rest of the bullpen does not look improved. Brandon Lyon will probably put up numbers similar to Jon Rauch in 2012. Guys like Rice, Scott Atchinson and Latroy Hawkins were available on minor league contacts for a reason. There is a difference between rolling the dice and upgrading a weakness. The Mets chose to roll the dice. I find it laughable that fans are wondering why this team is not winning. Sometimes a team is just not good enough. But the future looks bright, right? Matt Harvey has pitched phenomenal so far this season. Wheeler being up soon should help. As far as d'Arnaud is concerned, will he be better offensively than Buck has been in the month of April? Probably not, but Buck will not be either. The next five months may not be easy, but will probably serve as a barometer of what to expect going into 2014. The debuts of d'Arnaud and Wheeler and maybe even RHPs Rafael Montero and Noah Syndergaard will be anticipated, but will not save the team from being a second division ballclub. I will not be completely negative. I do think 2B Daniel Murphy and LF Duda could have breakout seasons. Despite questions about his start once again, 1B Ike Davis still hit his HRs and make the Mets infield of David Wright, Murphy, Ruben Tejada and Davis the team's biggest strength. At least that should be fun to watch. Harvey has looked better than anyone could have imagined. People keep saying Wheeler will be as fun to watch. Unfortunately, the negatives outweigh the positives just like at the end of last season. Despite some questionable moves by manager Terry Collins over the past couple games, I still think he is an average manager. In spite of that feeling, he is a lame duck who will certainly take the fall for this team being what it is. No manager will get a team with this many holes to compete. But fans will get to see blood as Collins will not last past the conclusion of this season. It is fitting he is on the last season of his contract. What should be expected for the Mets in the final five months of the season? I expect to see more struggles. The offense could be better than it has been over the past week and a half, but it will be nowhere near what it was in the first 11 games of the season. Marcum needs to become the bargain he seemed to be when he signed for $4 million. Otherwise, the other options will doom this team. Bad starting pitching will make a not good bullpen worse, and I can see them hitting rock bottom. However, I do see them playing better in the second half. With Wheeler up before the All Star break, d'Arnaud playing in the big leagues and my predicion that a major league outfielder will be acquired via trade, I see this team playing some better baseball in August and September. Unfortunately, they will be way too far out of the race to be a contender this season. Hopefully the optimism for 2014 pans out. Otherwise, Sandy Alderson will finally have to be held accountable for what has happened.

The Toronto Blue Jays have won the prize for the most exciting offseason. Between their trade for NL Cy Young Award winner RA Dickey and the mega trade with the Miami Marlins, the Jays have put themselves in position where they should expect to compete for the AL East title. Remember, the Jays have not made the postseason since 1993, their last World Series title. Since last season, they have brought in and out an alarming amount of catchers. That has spilled over into 2013 spring training. Both the 2012 and 2013 versions of the Toronto Blue Jays have had JP Arencibia as their starting backstop. Last year, the Jays had Jeff Mathis as their primary backup. With top prospect Travis d'Arnaud in AAA, they also had veteran Bobby Wilson as an option in AAA. Yorvit Torrealba spent some time on the team towards the end of the season. Torrealba filed for free agency and Wilson was DFA'd. Eli Whiteside was claimed on waivers, but DFA'd soon after. Mathis was traded to the Marlins in a deal that gave the Jays John Buck. Buck and d'Arnaud were sent to the Mets in a deal that brought them Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas. The Blue Jays then signed free agent Henry Blanco to a major league contract. AJ Jimenez gives the Jays 4 catchers on their 40 man roster, with Nickeas in camp as a non roster invite. The Blue Jays seem poised to have 3 catchers on their opening day roster, something few MLB teams have done on a consistent basis. The Whitey Herzog led St Louis Cardinals always had a 3rd string catcher, whether it was Glenn Brummer or Tom Nieto. But, it is unheralded in the American League. Obviously, the designated hitter leaves most teams with 4 bench players if they use 12 pitchers. Perhaps the Jays plan on using Arencibia as their primary DH. However, they have Brett Lawrie at 3B and Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind either DHing or playing 1B. I don't know where they will find the room. To me, I don't think it is crazy to see the Jays start 2013 with Arencibia, Thole and Blanco, through Buck and Whiteside, after spending last season with Arencibia, Mathis, Torrealba and Wilson. That is 8 MLB catchers in 2 seasons.

The Nationals, Athletics and Mariners have just completed a trade involving Michael Morse, John Jaso and AJ Cole. In order for the Athletics to make room for Jaso, the team has designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment. Kottaras has served as a dependable backup catcher for the last couple seasons. Though he is not a starter, he could work out for a number of teams in a platoon role. The New York Mets plan on going into the 2013 season with John Buck as their everyday catcher as they wait for top catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud. Anthony Recker, an earlier waiver claim, is expected to serve as the team's backup. I have decided to take this time to compare Recker and Kottaras, and come to a conclusion on who is the best choice for the Mets to go into the 2013 season with. Starting out, Recker will make league minimum while Kottaras agreed to a $1 million contract avoiding arbitration. Kottaras has been a MLB fixture for the past three seasons as a backup catchers. Last season, Kottaras hit just .211, 9, 31 for the Brewers and Athletics in 85 games. Certainly that production was better than the Mets got from either Josh Thole or Mike Nickeas last season. Recker was 7-41 (.167), 1, 4 for the Athletics and Cubs last season. Both players are 29, with Recker spending the majority of his professional career in the minors. Kottaras has been in the majors since 2008 with Boston and has hit .220 for his career with 24 HR and 84 RBI in 249 MLB games. Recker is 10-66 in 27 MLB games in 2011 and 2012. Before I try to make the case for Kottaras, I have to mention Recker has put up some decent numbers in AAA over the past couple seasons. Over the past four seasons, Recker has hit .277 with 47 HR playing at the AAA level. It is difficult to tell how that will translate to the big league level. If the Mets stick with Recker, few will complain. Especially if the Mets would like to save money, and we all know it is their go to move now a days. But Kottaras, a left hand batter, will give the Mets more proven production, especially if d'Arnaud goes not come up as quickly as expected. I will finish by making one point, if the Mets have been this stingy with money this offseason ($1 million for a MLB player is not a lot of money), then I reconsider my argument.

The New York Mets production has not been very good this season. Even though a lot of teams have struggled getting offense from their catchers, it has become a concern over whether the future behind the plate looks bright at all for the Mets. Josh Thole, known to be a hitter first, catcher second, is currently hitting .238 with just 18 RBI in 277 at bats this season. Though Kelly Shoppach has gotten off to a good start since being acquired from Boston, he does not profile as an everyday major league catcher. As the 2012 season is coming to an end, it seems planned out for Thole and Shoppach to split time behind the plate going into the 2013 season.

I think a fair case could be made that Thole has improved behind the plate as a defensive catcher. He seems to be catching the ball better and with help from pitching coach Dan Warthen, has called a better game than he has in recent years. But his defense is still below average and his offense does not make up for his imperfections behind the plate. The Mets sent Lucas Duda to AAA after a terrible slump earlier this season. Though Duda was hitting much worse, it was determined his offensive production was not enough to substantiate him being in the field where he was a liability. My question is when it will be determined Thole has the same value Duda did at that point. Thole was expected to be a .300 hitter and it is pretty obvious he will not be. His approach at the plate is terrible. He is not aggressive and consistently takes fastballs right down the middle. And when he has two strikes, (which seems like every time up) he chokes up on the bat and tries to do anything he can not to strike out. He turns into a slap hitter (see Luis Castillo) and becomes extremely vulnerable. Based on the recent couple of weeks, it seems Terry Collins has become more inclined to use Shoppach on more of a regular basis, even against right handed pitchers. The Mets need to upgrade at this position. It will not happen with Thole and Shoppach on the roster after this season. Though Shoppach is a free agent, it is likely the Mets will bring him back for next year. Having Shoppach and Thole will keep the Mets from pursuing another catcher. What are the Mets options? They can try to trade Thole but lets be honest, even at age 25 he has little value. Perhaps he can be added to a trade as a throw in. That would be ideal. Since Thole is not arbitration eligible until after the 2013 season, he is unlikely to be non-tendered. The truth is, Thole is not a regular catcher, even as part of a platoon. I think the Mets need to move on from Thole before they can make an effort to upgrade the position. Maybe releasing him may be a little harsh, I can't think of anything more resonable for the Mets to do. Thole is still young enough to get a fresh start somewhere else. I wish him the best, but its time for Josh Thole and the New York Mets to part ways.

It has become quite notable that a lot of major league catchers have not held up their part of the bargain this season. Though several teams have been pleased with what they are getting from their backstops, an alarming amount of catchers have been hitting around .200 or below. Even catchers known for hitting for an average are having down years. To show this trend, I have catagorized the catchers based on their stats for this season. The top tier catchers for 2012 all have put up the numbers that they are capable of. (I put two injured catchers in this group assuming they would have put up similar numbers if healthy.) The second groug includes elite catchers, who have had down seasons average-wise. Most in this group have had much better seasons. The third group includes catchers that are simply 8th place hitters who may hit about .250-.260. The last group proves my point about how bad a season it has been for catchers. Most in this group have hit for a terrible average and some have lost power they have possessed just a year or two ago. First, lets give respect to those catchers who have gotten the job done this season. Carlos Ruiz (.325, 14, 58), despite his recent injury, has had a tremendous season for the Phillies. Buster Posey (.327, 16, 69), Joe Mauer (.317, 7, 53), Yadier Molina (.316, 16, 54), AJ Pierzsynski (.289, 21, 61) and Miguel Montero (.283, 13, 64) all have had solid seasons at the plate. AJ Ellis (.287, 10, 33) has been very good for the Dodgers and Salvador Perez (.322, 5, 12 in 115 ABs) has been a beast since he has returned from the disabled list. Milwaukee's Jonathan Lucroy (.323, 6, 33) and Washington's Wilson Ramos (.265, 3, 10) have had their seasons shortened due to injuries. The next part of the list is probably the most disappointing. These are 7 known catchers who should be part of the first list. Brian McCann (.236, 18, 56) has seen his average drop quietly due to Atlanta's success. Mike Napoli (.229, 17, 40) hit .320 last season. Matt Wieters (.242, 13, 50) and JP Arencibia (.242, 16, 50) are certainly capable of hitting for a higher average. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.230, 20, 46) has become a home run hitter and Carlos Santana (.236, 11, 47) is a run producer. Both will need to increase their averages if they want to be middle of the order presences. Alex Avila (.246, 6, 31) has fallen from the 19 HR and 81 RBI he had last season. The next section includes only three catchers, Mets' Josh Thole (.258, 1, 16), Reds' Ryan Hanigan (.273, 2, 13) and Astros' Jason Castro (.254, 2, 20). Though none of these numbers are awful, none can be considered more than a number 8 hitter at this point. All three teams are hoping they can upgrade in the offseason as the numbers mentioned are more suited for a backup. Finally, the most alarming part of this evaluation. Ten MLB catchers qualify for the last list which means either they are hitting for a putrid average (.200 or less) or are barely hitting over .200 with little to no power. Kurt Suzuki was traded to Washington. He is hitting a career low .228, 1, 18. Miguel Olivo (.209, 7, 31) and Rod Barajas (.202, 8, 20) have hit for more power and had much higher batting averages in their careers. Russell Martin has hit 12 HR and driven in 30 runs, but is hitting just .192 for the Yankees. Geovanny Soto, just traded to the Rangers, was hitting .199, 6, 14 for the Cubs. Ramon Hernandez, subject of many trade rumors with the Rockies, has hit better since his return from the DL but is hitting .219, 4, 22 for the season. Chris Iannetta has had just 85 ABs this season for the Angels. Still, he is expected to be better than his .195, 4, 10 line. It is amazing that Jose Molina still plays most of the games for the Rays. He is hitting .187, 4, 16 with Jose Lobaton hitting .228, 1, 12. John Buck is hitting .172, 8, 27 in the middle of a multi-year contract. Nick Hundley of San Diego has hit himself back to AAA with his .166, 3, 22 numbers. By the way, Hundley was is the only catcher on this list with a lower batting average than Mets catcher Mike Nickeas (.168, 1, 13). And Hundley was sent down almost a couple months ago.

One thing that got a lot of Mets fans to support manager Terry Collins and his way of running the team was his insistance of playing the game right regardless of who was in the lineup. While Jerry Manuel openly told reporters the team was waiting for injured players to get back, Collins expects production regardless of who is injured and who is in the lineup. Collins also mentioned that if players hit, they would play.

The last statement would imply that he would be more inclined to play the hot hand. It has not been the case as Collins has continued to insist on playing a predominantly right handed hitting lineup against left hand pitchers, a lineup that has not given the Mets much of a chance against southpaws. Scott Hairston has had a very good season, particularly against left handers, but the rest of the team has not. Guys like Justin Turner and Ronny Cedeno have hit the same against right and left handers this season. Daniel Murphy (coming off a 4 hit game) has handled left handers as good as Turner and Cedeno. Yet Murphy is on the bench and so is Jordany Valdespin, who hit another pinch hit homerun in his last at bat. The fact that the Mets have struggled against left handers should lead to more left handed bats being run out there. Collins has done that a lot with Lucas Duda and Ike Davis and did that early on with Murphy. But, it seems like every time a left hander is on the mound, he unloads his right handed bench, thinking it going to work. IT NEVER DOES! Josh Thole, though its agreeable that he has not had a good offensive season, is hitting .255 against LHP, while Mike Nickeas has hit .200. Yet Nickeas is run out there just about everytime a left hander is pitching. It is fair to say Valdespin does not have a position, but it doesn't mean he gives the team less of a chance against a LHP. I'm wondering when there will be a finalization that the lineup against lefthanders does not work. To say a lineup with Murphy, Thole and Valdespin could at least do the same as a lineup with Nickeas, Cedeno and either Bay or Torres would be an understatement. But, as time goes on, it is a wonder whether that will ever happen. Collins has preached it doesn't matter what the name says on the back of the jersey, but maybe it only applies to whether it's a star calibur player or not. Right handed hitting players play against LHP regardless of how much they give the team a chance to win, apparently. As this team is hitting a potentially fatal stretch of the season, it would be nice to see a lineup consist of the team's best hitters, not the overthinking involved in right-left matchups. If it's all about the numbers, the numbers show its not working. It's time to change this matchup obsession before its too late. But, it may not matter a week from now.